ACTING AS A TEAM PLAYER

Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?

If you were choosing team members for a business team in your organization, who would the best team players be? Assuming that people have the right technical skills for the work to be done, what other factors would you use to select your team members?

Teams need strong team players to perform well. But what defines such people? Here is a short list of qualities of an effective team player:

Demonstrates reliability

Communicates constructively

Listens actively

Functions as an active participant

Shares openly and willingly

Cooperates and pitches in to help

Exhibits flexibility

Shows commitment to the team

Work as a problem solver

Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner

Read more about each point in this article[1] by the authors of the Dummies Guide To… series.

Conversely, the pendulum can swing in the opposite direction of being too much of a team player. Do you have trouble saying “No” or are you known as a “Yes Man”? Consider this article[2], which discusses the benefits of yes versus no and how to better manage yourself using both.

[1] Brounstein, Marty. "Ten Qualities of an Effective Team Player - For Dummies ." How-To Help and Videos - For Dummies . < http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-qualities-of-an-effective-team-player.html >.